The Art of Brook&Lyn

The Art of Brook&Lyn
Johanna Björk
In her mid-twenties, Mimi Jung quit her job as a graphic designer to start her own creative studio under the name Brook&Lyn . Her bold, distinct jewelry gained near instant acclaim in the fashion world. Last year, her husband, Brian Hurewitz, joined the company full-time and the pair relocated from Brooklyn to Los Angeles.
This move, in part, was what inspired them to start making objects of art —most notably playful, graphic wall-hangings that incorporate lots of color and found, natural objects. “Years ago, Jung says, “I signed up for a machine knitting class that got cancelled due to low enrollment. The only other class that was available was weaving. The four-session class did not turn me into a weaving enthusiast by any means. I chalked it up as a single experience and forgot about it until my husband and I made the move from Brooklyn to LA last year. Something about the sun filled days, lush green surroundings of our new LA home, and my new life seemed to align with weaving so perfectly, and it stuck.”
Hurewitz, who also has a background in the design and advertising world, also pursued a long-standing passion by setting up a woodshop in the pair’s house in LA. Now, he makes the wooden components of Brook&Lyn’s art objects and built their custom loom.
Jung says that, with her jewelry work, she quickly learned how to run a profitable business in a short period of time, something she’s not particularly looking to achieve with the art and objects. “I try to keep them as far away as I can from becoming a ‘business,’ she says. “I want to give our new venture time to grow without the added pressure of trends, sales and production limitations.”
While the jewelry is often bold in shape, the color and forms are very minimal. With weaving, Jung always starts from a color perspective. “I'm free to go wild. And the wilder I go the better they become. I start each project with a single color that I'm drawn to, then I build around it.”
Besides color, Jung finds inspiration in everyday things—“from a block of tofu that I translate into a woven piece, to a found piece of tree bark that dictates the entire design/flow of the weavings.”
Nature plays a big part in the design process, not just as found objects incorporated in the pieces, but also in setting the right mood. “I like to work with the front door open, so I get as much natural light as possible,” Jung says. “Being in LA, the weather is gorgeous pretty much everyday. I work in silence so the only thing you hear is a light breeze that comes through the entire studio. I can see part of a giant banana tree peeking through my window. My three dogs are usually napping away.”
Depending on the size, a weaving can take anywhere from 30 hours to three weeks to complete. “I add then subtract over and over until it's right.” When working “I sit on the floor surrounded by the many tapestry looms that Brian built me. There’s usually a cold glass of homemade almond milk and 6-10 colorful cones of yarn cones by my side.”
Although Brook&Lyn have received many wholesale requests for these wall hangings, they’ve turned most of them down because they don’t want this work to become about numbers.
Jewelry and weavings are just the beginning for Brook&Lyn. “Our next immediate project involves turning the weavings into 3-D sculptural forms,” Jung says. “Right now we're in the experimental phase which is very exciting.”
The duo’s work blurs the line between design and art, and it’s apparent that they enjoy the process as much as the final object. “If we're just creating art/objects all day, everyday,” says Jung, “well, then we’re really living the dream.”